Our inaugural Legal Departments of the Year awards attracted entrants from across the Atlanta metro region and produced a diverse group of winners. ALM editors reviewed detailed applications describing how the nominated law departments excelled in different areas, including outside counsel management, in-house legal work, the use of technology and pro bono work.

Judges also talked to lawyers in private practice and others who were familiar with the law departments, their work and leadership.
 
Over the years, the Daily Report has been conservative in handing out accolades, with just a handful of such awards adorning Georgia lawyers’ offices. We’ve made a point of vetting candidates with diligence, and with an eye toward recipients meeting the gold-level standards we expect from national professional organizations that applaud excellence in work. That’s certainly the case in our first annual round of legal department award recipients—Intercontinental Hotels Group, Equifax, CARE, Prime­Revenue and Duke Realty.